It seems like all of the awarness days were shoved into Decemeber--you know, before the year is over. This week we rememebered AIDS victims and honored people with disabilities.
For AIDS awarness day an NGO LGBT Georgia organised an event that I joined at the last part. I brought some intertnational flare to the event--cool American and Scottish boys (plus an Indian guy joined us and asked what country did the rainbow flag represent).
NGO representatives raised the rainbow flag with black ribbon, arranged red candles in form of a ribbon and lit red Chinese lanterns. There was music and lots of frozen faces.
My friend and I were supposed to give away condomns and fliers,and we were joined by my girlfriends and the foreign aid (the above-mentioned boys). I was suprised by how energetically my girls forced people to actually take condomns. We even went to bars on Perovi street and gave those out.
Here are my observations:
1. Boys laugh but take the rubber
2. Some cooler boys are actually happy about it
3. Girls either refuse to take it, or are confused--think it is a gum, etc.
4. Couples absolutely refuse to take a condomn--hence admitting they have sex
5. Street kids are really fun and supportive
6. People will freeze but still raise flags, light candles and pursue passerbys to ensure safe sex in the country
7. When asked politely, police takes condomns from pretty girls
December 3d is disability awarness day. Unfortunately, I did not do anything on this day, though it is my field of work. Instead, I administerred SAT's at 7 A.M., cleaned the house and went to a birthday party in the evening. I did attend a boring conference on the subject the day before.
The conference had NGOs, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education representatives and lasted for dreadful 3 hours. Here are my observations:
1. High-ranking officials from Ministries react painfully to any critisizm
2. NGO's and other people in the field are never heard, so they do not let go of microphone and try to voice all of the concerns accumulated since last Decemeber.
3. High-ranking officials from Ministries act like High-ranking officials from Ministries
4. No one in the room--neither side--realizes that reseach should precede action (high officials randomely agreed to implement some of the proposed ideas, based on momentary decisions)
5. Nothing will ever change in this country until we teach kids in schools basic problem-solving skills. Otherwise, they will grow up into ambitious ignorant pricks
6. High-ranking officials congratulated us with the date several times. It sounded something like: "and again, we wish you a happy disability day", like it was a holiday
In that manner, my dear friends, happy AIDS and disability awarness days to you, may we all use condomns while having sex with strangers, may we read the info fliers and defend our rights at the conferences, may our shirts get full of different-colored ribbons and our minds--of ever-expanding awarness and may the next year this time we have 3 times more AIDS awarness activists (that would be 180) and 3 times less bitter participants at the conferences (no number, sorry). Merry December awarness days to you, friends!
P.S. After comments on the last post, I have to clarify that last passage was written with sarcasm and I don't really mean to congratulate people.
P.P.S. the pics: AIDS and disability awarness ribbons.
hahaha;))) i still have some condoms if anyone wants to:)))
ReplyDelete"No one in the room--neither side--realizes that reseach should precede action (high officials randomely agreed to implement some of the proposed ideas, based on momentary decisions)"
ReplyDeleteAt least that could be interpreted as experimenting with different policies. That is, if the actually follow up and evaluate the success or non-success of their policies. But then, "High-ranking officials from Ministries react painfully to any critisizm". Yeah, that's bad.